Pruning-shears.



N0. 838,504. 4 PATBNTED DEG. 11, 1906.

A. J. HAMMOND.-

PRUNING SHEARS.

'Arrmonmn FILED AUG.25. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

29i meme:

r": uomus PE1ERS cm, WASHINGTON- n. c.

No. 838,504. v PATENTED' DEC. .11, 1906. A. J. HAMMOND.

PRUNING SHEARS. APPLIOATION'I'ILED AUG. 26, 1905.

lineooea R5 00-, WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PRUNlNG-SH EARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed August 25, 1905. Serial 110- 275.806.

T aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT J. HAMMOND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ben Lomond, in the county of Santa Cruz, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pruning-Shears; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the This invention relates to pruning implements.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, durable, and eflicient pruning implement embodying such characteristics that it will cut the limb clean and not bruise the bark.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a pruning implement of such character that the blades thereof may be locked in their closed position and prevented from spreading beyond a certain degree in their open position.

l/Vith these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the pruning-shears in open position. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same in closed position. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the pivotal means, illustrating the blades in open position. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the pivotal means. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the handles. Fig. 6 is a detailview of one of the shear-blades. Fig. 7 is an elevation illustrating a single-blade implement similar in all other respects to the double-blade variety illustrated. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view of the under face of the locking-nut, showing the serrations formed thereon.

Referring now more particularly to the ac companying drawings, the reference characters 1 and 2 designate the handles of my implement, each of which has an angle portion 3 and 4, respectively, the angle portions 3 and 4 being designed to cross each other, as shown, the inner faces of each angle portion 3 and 4 being reduced, as at 5, and provided near their outer ends with a projection 6, terminating in a lug 7, arranged over and in spaced relation with the reduced portion of the angle part of the respective handles, the rear of each lug forming a shoulder 8 for a purpose presently explained.

It will be observed that the inner face of each angle portion 3 of the respective handles has a pointed shoulder 9 at the base of its reduced portion, fitting which shoulders 9 are the bifurcated inner ends 10 and 11, respectively, of the blades 12 and 13, the back edges of the respective blades 12 and 13 fitting between the lugs 7 and the inner reduced face of the angle part of the handles, the blades being secured to the angle part of the respective levers by means of suitable rivets 13. By reason of the dovetailed engagement of the bifurcated ends of the blades with the pointed shoulders '9 and their backs with the lugs 7, together with the rivets 13, the blades are held firmly to the handles.

It will be observed that the outer ends of the handles 1 and 2 have their ends turned inwardly, as at 14 and 15, the inwardly-turned end 14 having a slot 16 in it for apurpose presently explained. The angle part of the lever 2 has a rectangular-shaped perforation 17 extending through it and the blade 10, there being a circular perforation 18 passed through the angular part 4 of the handle 2 and the re spective blade. These perforations are designed to receive a bolt which has a circular portion 19, designed to fit the circular perforation 18, and an intermediate rectangularshaped portion 20, designed to fit the rectangular-shaped opening 17, one extremity of the said bolt being circular in cross-section and screw-threaded, as indicated by the reference character 21, for the reception of a lock-nut 22, whose under face is serrated, as at 23, for a purpose presently explained, the opposite end of the said bolt being provided with a head 24, having a semicircular bifurcation 25 in its periphery, said bifurcation receiving the head 26 of the bent end 27 of an elongated flat spring 28, whose lower end fits in the slot 16 in the inwardly-turned end 15 of the handle 1 and held therein by means of a suitable rivet 29, the said flat spring being designed to hold the lower end of the handles to the blades separated, the stops of the aforesaid lugs preventing undue separation of the blades and handles.

In order to prevent accidental disengagement of the pivotal connection of the blades and handlesthat is, the aforesaid pivotbolt-I provide a locking-key having a slotted head 31,designed to engage beneath the head 32 of the short post 38, which is screwthreaded for screw-threaded engagement in the perforation 34, formed in the angular portion 4 of the handle 2 adjacent the aforesaid lock-nut 22, the said key having afinger 35, provided With an enlargement 36, designed to engage in the groove 37 ,formed in the outer face of the angular part 4 of the handle 2 and extending under the lock-nut 22 interchangeably with the serrations thereof to prevent turning of the lock-nut. Now there may be times when it is desired to hold the blades and handles together, for which purpose I provide a pawl 38, having ashoulder 39, designed to engage one side of the aforesaid semicircular bifurcation 25 with its dog 40 disposed in said bifurcation and against the head 26 of the spring 28, the said pawl 38 being pivoted to the handle 1 by means of a suitable pivotpin 41 and provided with a lug 42, whereby it maybe readily moved upon its pivot from engagement with the aforesaid bifurcation and head of the spring, when the blades may by reason of the said spring 28 move away from each other into engagement with the afore said stops of the blades.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention is of a comparatively inexpensive nature, that the blades may be locked to gether, that the blades may be limited in their outward movement, that the pivot-pin of the blades cannot become accidentally unfastened, that the blades have a peculiar mounting with respect to the handles, and that as soon as the blades are unlocked from engagement with each other they automatically spring apart a limited distance with respect to each other. p

In Fig. 8 there is shown a modified form of the invention. In this case there is but one movable blade (1, designed for cooperation of the fixed guard-plate b, which latter is provided with a stop 0 to limit the movement of the movable blade at in one direction. It will be seen that this single-blade variety of implement is constructed and arranged in most respects similarly to the implement of the double-blade variety, the only material difierence being that the guard plate I) is fixed to the handle member 1 and that the blade a is the only cutting element in the single-blade implement.

What is claimed is 1. A pruning implement comprising handles having stops formed therewith, a blade secured between each handle and its stop, a headed bolt for pivoting the blades together, said bolt having a recess in its head, means for preventing accidental dislodgment of said pivot-bolt, a spring engaged at opposite ends with one of said handles and the recess in the pivot-bolt head to hold the blades nor-' of said bolt and formed with a serrated under face, a plate mounted upon one of said handles and provided with an enlargement for engagement with the serrated face of said nut for preventing any accidental dislodgment of said bolt, and means on one of the handles for normally holding the blades away from each other.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT J. HAMMOND. Witnesses J. A. Cox, PHIN HALL. 

